Place an Ad Calendars Classified Forums Sports Weather

sptimes.com Text-only News sections Arts & Entertainment AP The Wire Business Citrus County Columnists Floridian Hernando County Hillsborough Letters Movies Neighborhood Times News Update North Pinellas North of Tampa Obituaries Opinion Pasco County South Pinellas Sports State Tampa Bay TV Times World & Nation  Find your local news section Weekly sections Brandon Times City Times Homes Outdoors Perspective Personal Tech Taste Travel Weekend Xpress Special Sections Arena football Buccaneers College football Devil Rays Lightning Police reports Schools Seniority Subscriber Services Subscribe Renew Help Advertise Place an ad In print Online Market Info Join Us Internships Scholarships Times Jobs Contact us

Main pain for Armstrong is losing

By DARRELL FRY

© St. Petersburg Times, published April 30, 2001

ORLANDO -- He is sprinting flat-out, his legs churning and his eyes as big as saucers. He is chasing loose balls, running off screens for open three-pointers and generally giving his body for the good of the team.

This is what you see with Magic point guard Darrell Armstrong. What you don't always see is the pain, the pestering strain in his groin or the throbbing ache in his stomach.

They are constant companions these days, afflictions from the past that he has come to endure these past few weeks. He plays on nonetheless because, while Tracy McGrady has quickly emerged as the team's star, Armstrong remains the indomitable spirit.

The strained groin and pulled stomach muscles, which developed about midseason, have limited his effectiveness in the opening-round Eastern Conference playoff series against Milwaukee. Armstrong doesn't quite have the same speed, cutting ability or leaping ability.

He struggled to score in double figures in the first two games, losses at Milwaukee. But Orlando's Game 3 win here Saturday night was a reminder that the Magic still can count on its fearless, undersized (6-1, 180) floor leader for guidance and incitement.

With Orlando facing a first-round sweep, Armstrong not surprisingly came through with his best game of the series. He was 6-of-13 from the floor for 18 points, but also had 10 rebounds, which was more than the Bucks' two towering centers combined (Mark Pope had two and Ervin Johnson had five).

He had four assists, two steals, two three-pointers and a blocked shot while playing 49 mostly painful minutes in the season-saving 121-116 overtime win.

"Going into the fourth quarter, I grabbed him and T-Mac and asked if they needed a (rest) and they looked at me like I was a nut," Magic coach Doc Rivers said. "Darrell just showed tremendous heart. I mean, that was a huge amount of minutes obviously. I thought he did a tremendous job defensively as well."

As Orlando prepares for Game 4 here Tuesday, it knows what it's probably going to get from McGrady, who has led the team in scoring all season. But it's what the Magic gets from Armstrong that most people say will determine whether Orlando starts its vacation sooner rather than later.

"When Darrell Armstrong plays like (in Game 3)," NBC analyst Bill Walton said, "Orlando can be a very effective ballclub."

It certainly helps that Armstrong will have two days of rest before Game 4, a luxury for which he can thank TV-conscious league officials. With treatment and rest, the injured groin and stomach muscles will have a little time to strengthen, but Armstrong won't be anywhere near 100 percent.

He is getting used to that, to the pain and the discomfort because he knows his team, even with McGrady, is counting on him desperately. And for Armstrong, that's the only reason he has ever needed.

"(The groin and the stomach) always feels good when I'm off the floor. It's just when I start playing, and the more I play, the worse it gets," Armstrong said. "What I've got to do is make up for what I can't do physically now. It's no time for the injured or the weary. It's time to play."

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright